Chapter 27
ELLORA
As the sky started turning a dusky pink, I sat cross-legged in the sand beside my mom, the warm grains clinging to my legs.
We were building the world’s ugliest sandcastle, not much more than a few lopsided towers and a moat that kept filling itself in, but she’d wanted to build one with me and she kept looking at it like it was the Taj Mahal, so we kept going even if it wasn’t really working out.
She wiggled her bare toes, digging them deeper into the wet sand and turning her head to smile at me. “You know, I’ve always loved this feeling. Wiggling my toes in the sand. It just feels nice. It soothes me. Recharges me.”
I laughed and did the same, burying my toes beside hers. The sand was warm at first, then cool underneath. “You’re right. It does feel nice.”
For a while, we just sat there, the waves lapping against the shore and a few gulls crying overhead. Mom hummed absently under her breath while shaping the crooked turret of our masterpiece. Then she paused, her hand hovering over the sand.
“I know I don’t remember things anymore,” she said quietly, her voice calm but the knowing in it threading right through me. “I know what’s happening to me. That my memory is going.”
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly tight. “Mom…”
She looked at me then—really looked at me—and her eyes were so clear it almost hurt to see them like that. “While I can still say this, I want you to know that I love you, Ellora. I’m so proud of you and the woman you’ve become. No matter what happens, never doubt that for a second.”
The world blurred, the tears that welled in my eyes unstoppable. I reached for her hand and held it, pressing it tight to my heart. “I love you too, Mom. So much.”
She smiled and squeezed my fingers. “Good. Then we’re even.”
A breeze carried the scent of salt and sunscreen between us, and for a few minutes, we just sat there in the late afternoon sunshine, our toes buried in the sand, holding on to the moment before it could slip away.
Mom’s gaze drifted toward the water. “Have I met Holden before?”
I smiled. “Just once.”
She nodded slowly, as if she was trying to tuck the information somewhere she would be able to reach it again.
“It’s just a gut feeling, but I like him.
He cares about you. I see it in his eyes.
” She turned to look at me then, a devious little smirk tugging at her lips for the first time in forever.
“And I love the way you smile when you’re with him. I approve.”
A shaky laugh slipped out of me. “Good. I approve of him too.”
Her hand found mine again. Our fingers laced together as the sun dipped toward the horizon. Holden came up behind us, resting a hand gently on my shoulder. He slid down to sit on the sand, wrapping his arms around me from behind and pulling me into his chest.
Bree and the doctor stood a few paces back, giving us space but still part of the moment. The sky went wild with color, pink, violet, and molten gold spilling over the waves, and we all just watched. For a few rare minutes, everything felt exactly as it should be.
Once the sun had all but disappeared, we packed up and headed to the limo. Mom was drowsy but smiling, her hand loosely curled around the shell I’d given her. Bree and the doctor helped her into the limo, and I could tell even they were reluctant to let the day end.
On the flight home, everyone was quiet, tired, sun-warmed, content.
I sat beside Holden, our fingers brushing every now and then, little sparks flying between us in the dark cabin of his plane.
My chest ached with a bittersweet mix of gratitude and sadness.
I was so happy we’d done this, already knowing I’d hang onto these memories forever.
Mom finally fell asleep and even Bree dozed off. Dr. Feldman read over some notes in a file. Holden leaned over and murmured, “Come with me.”
He led me to the small bedroom in the back of the plane, the hum of the engines surrounding us like white noise. The lights were dim, his smile soft. He turned and pulled me into his arms.
As soon as I realized where he’d brought me, I didn’t even think twice.
I just kissed him, slow, deep, and grateful.
It wasn’t about passion or lust, though there was plenty of both, but this was all about comfort and connection, the relief of having someone to lean on when the world felt too heavy.
Even so, I felt those familiar sparks of desire racing through me as his tongue moved with mine.
Especially when I felt him growing hard against my belly.
He groaned and broke the kiss but didn’t let go of me.
“I figured you might want to get some sleep before we land. You said you hadn’t been sleeping very well and we’ve got a few hours. Dr. Feldman and I can watch your mom.”
“No.” I looked into his eyes and stroked my fingers into his thick hair. “I don’t know how much time you and I are going to have together in the weeks and even the months ahead. Stay with me.”
Holden pulled in a deep breath and reached for the covers on the bed, yanking them open. “Fine, but you’re getting some sleep.”
“Sure.” I twisted our fingers together and climbed onto the mattress, tugging him with me. “Maybe later, though.”
He chuckled and allowed me to pull him down on top of me, those blue eyes blazing with heat, but there was something much softer in them too. “If you really want me to distract you, I’m willing, but only if you’re sure.”
“It’s not about distraction,” I whispered as I wrapped my legs around his hips, feeling the hard heat of him between my thighs.
We were both still wearing our bathing suits.
Not much fabric separated us as he settled on top of me, and feeling him like this made everything else slip away just a little bit.
“It’s about connection, Holden. You’re the one person I’ve been able to rely on.
You make me feel joy even on the darkest days and I just… ”
I trailed off because I didn’t know how to phrase this without coming straight out and telling him that I was falling in love with him.
But it turned out that he didn’t need words.
A soft, almost loving smile of his own spread on his lips.
He dipped his chin in a nod and brought his lips to mine in a kiss that said maybe he didn’t know how to say the words either, but that maybe, neither of us needed to.
Holden moved us up on the bed and took both my hands. He stretched them high above my head, transferred my wrists to only one of his hands, and pinned them to the mattress. He broke the kiss to look into my eyes, a storm of heat and something deeper in his gaze.
“This is going to have to be quick and quiet,” he said, his tone not brooking any argument whatsoever. “Is that okay with you?”
I nodded, already struggling to keep my hips still. The way he took control was so natural and so commanding that it was just about the sexiest thing I’d ever experienced.
“Our clothes are mostly staying on.” He glanced at the door. “They could need us at any moment, so we have to be ready for that possibility.”
Again, all I could do was nod. My nipples tightened and my bikini bottoms quickly got drenched. Holden gave me a swift nod, then shifted off of me. His movements were graceful as he climbed off the bed and strode over to the door.
I lay on the mattress, panting, and watched him slide the lock into place. When he came back, he stood at the side of the bed, eyes locked on me. He shoved his trunks down over his ass, not letting them slide any further than that.
My mouth started watering at the sight of his cock, already fully erect with a bead of moisture at the tip. He produced a condom from his pocket, tearing it open and groaning when he caught me staring as he rolled it on.
“Thank fuck this has to be quick because it was going to be anyway,” he murmured, his voice raspy. The mattress dipped when he got back onto it. Without hesitating, he lowered his body over mine, his weight pressing me into the firm mattress. He met my lips with a searing kiss.
As his tongue stroked into my mouth, he reached between us. He pulled my bottoms out of the way, and when he felt how wet I was, he hissed. “I know it was probably inappropriate, but seeing you in this bikini all day and not being able to touch you nearly killed me.”
“Killed you?” I mumbled my response between kisses. My brow was already furrowing as I felt him push against my entrance. “Have you seen yourself in a swimsuit lately? Your skin is practically gold and you have abs for days.”
He chuckled into my mouth, but his amusement shifted into a sharp groan when he thrust into me. I almost cried out at the sensation, the drag of his shaft against my insides as he withdrew before he drove into me again.
For a while, there was nothing but warmth, breath, and the steady rhythm of his hands on my skin, the movement of him inside me. It was the perfect end to the perfect day. His pelvis rubbed against my clit at exactly the right time. Both of us lost it.
Pleasure raced through me, intensifying when I felt him swell deep inside. Soft, throaty groans spilled out of him as his rhythm faltered. After, he pulled me into his arms and held me until I fell asleep.
I only woke when he murmured in my ear that the pilot was about to start his descent.
We got dressed in the winter gear we’d shed on our flight to Florida and the weight of the clothes felt scarily like the weight of reality sinking back in.
But it didn’t feel like I was carrying it completely alone anymore.
Holden had another car waiting to take us home once we landed. He held my hand on the drive back to our apartment. We were all quiet, no one saying much as we weaved through the dark city streets.
Once we got home, Dr. Feldman gently held my mother’s arm as she sleepily left Holden’s car. Then he helped me get her to bed. Bree also went upstairs to get her settled. Then Holden would drop her and the doctor off on his way home.
I hung back with him for just a second, unable to properly express my gratitude for everything he’d done today. Before I could even get a word out, he pressed a soft, tender kiss to my lips. “I hope you manage to get some sleep tonight, Ella. Call me if there’s anything I can do to help, okay?”
“Okay, but what you’ve already done has been everything.” I rested my forehead against his for just a moment, closing my eyes and breathing him in. Then I pulled away before I wound up begging him not to leave.
Bree and the doctor were just on their way out when I got up to my apartment, and Bree gave me a long hug after Dr. Feldman had said his goodbyes. “Thank you for bringing me with you today. It was a really special experience.”
“It’s not me you should be thanking,” I murmured, but I smiled anyway when she released me. “It was amazing though, right?”
“Right,” she said, then winked. “That man is nuts about you, and don’t you dare tell me otherwise. See you tomorrow, Ellora.”
“See you tomorrow.” I waited until she’d taken the elevator down before I went inside, locked up behind me, and checked on my mom before I went to bed.
She was already sleeping soundly, so small with the blankets tucked around her.
There was still a smile on her lips, and even in her sleep, her brow wasn’t as furrowed as usual.
I leaned against the door frame for a moment, cherishing the last bit of peace on what had been one of the most incredible days of my life.
As I watched her chest rising and falling, I knew deep down inside that she would never go to the beach again and a sob worked its way up my throat, but I didn’t let it out, not wanting to wake her after such an awesome, but tiring day.
Ultimately, she’d gotten to see the ocean again, just one last time, and what an experience it had been.
I went to bed with my heart strangely heavy and full at the same time, grateful for every second we’d had together, not only today, but every other minute I’d ever gotten to share with her. I’d been lucky to have so many of them.
A few days later, my mother passed away peacefully in her sleep, still holding the seashell I’d given her at the beach and a beautifully serene expression on her face, like in her final moments, she’d still been back there with us, calmly watching the sunset on a warm, winter’s day.